


Bandstand One Shots

by theimprobableone28



Category: Bandstand - Oberacker/Oberacker & Taylor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:21:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24168775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theimprobableone28/pseuds/theimprobableone28
Summary: One shots about the members of the Donny Nova Band (but mostly Donny and Julia)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 9





	1. The News

Julia smiled at the good news she had just recieved as she pushed the door open to her and Donny's apartment. He wasn't home yet. He had a meeting with a producer about recording some of the band's hits and wouldn't be home for another twenty minutes. Usually, she would go and start supper or try writing some new lyrics, but today she was content to wait for Donny to come home. Julia plopped down, exhausted, into one of the blue and white striped chair her mother had given them for a wedding gift. They had gotten married about a month ago after two years of dating. Julia still missed Michael, the way he smirked after telling a joke or the sound of him practicing his drums in the basement every day, but she had found love again in Donny. She smiled to herself as she thought of how his fingers danced across the piano keys and how he always mouthed the lyrics of whatever song they were playing when he wasn't supposed to be singing. The sound of the door opening pulled her out of her reverie.

"Julia?" Donny called. She heard the sound of his keys jingling as he pulled them out of the door. "Oh, hi!" He grinned as he saw her sitting in the living room, where the door opened into. "Just couldn't wait for me to get home?" he grinned.

Julia smiled back at him, "Couldn't wait to hear what the producer said about the record." She stood up and walked towards him, the wooden floor creaking underneath her bare feet. "You just happen to be the person who knows what he said." Donny stepped closer to her, until their faces were only inches away from each other.

"You sure I don't have anything to do with it?"

"Nope, now tell me."

"If you kiss me I will." He leaned forward and kissed her, a spark travelling through her body, igniting a warm glow in her heart. She felt so safe and loved when Donny held her, but she really did want to know and she had something to tell him still. She pulled away and grinned when he let out a disappointed groan.

He opened his mouth to protest when she cut him off, "tell me what he said and I'll tell you what I did today."

Donny raised his eyebrow at that, but the news from the producer was to exciting to keep to himself much longer, so he gave in. "We have a record deal! We record in about a month. They want "Nobody" and "Welcome Home" on it for sure. We still have to work out what else is going to be on there," he announced.

Julia laughed from joy, "do the boys know?"

"I called them from the payphone outside of the office."

"So you told everyone else before me?" Julia teased.

"I saved the best for last." Julia laughed at that and walked into the kitchen to pull out a loaf of bread for supper.

"Aren't you going to tell me what you did today?" Donny followed her into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around her waist, putting his head on her shoulder.

"Well I thought I would tell everyone else first..." she teased. He looked at her pleadingly with his big brown eyes and she gave in immediately. "Fine. I went to the doctor today."

Donny spun her around in his arms so she was facing him, his hands still on her waist. "Are you alright? Nothing is wrong, right?" He looked so concerned, that Julia's plan of keeping the news from him a bit longer went out the window.

"I'm pregnant." Donny went completely still, his face more shocked than the band was when they saw NYC for the first time. Julia looked at him for a long moment until he shook his head and let out a nervous laugh.

"We're having a baby!" He hugged Julia close to him. They smiled at each other. Donny leaned his head down and Julia reached up and they met in the middle for a kiss. It was slow, one that seemed to constantly remind them of the the love and respect they had for the other. A minute later, they pulled apart and just held each other. Julia rest her head against Donny's chest and he put his head on hers, just enjoying just being with each other. What could have been five minutes or an hour later, Donny kissed her head and pulled back slightly as if he was going to say something. Julia looked up at him. "If it's a boy, let's name him Michael."

Julia gave him a sad smile, "yeah, I think that would be perfect." They were silent for a minute.

Then, Donny pulled her close again, "we're really going to be parents."

"You ready?" Julia asked against his chest.

"With you at my side, I could face anything." Julia laughed at his cheesiness, but she knew that they were ready for this. She loved him, he loved her, and they were going to have a baby and that's all she needed.


	2. Fighting

Julia smiled at the good news she had just recieved as she pushed the door open to her and Donny's apartment. He wasn't home yet. He had a meeting with a producer about recording some of the band's hits and wouldn't be home for another twenty minutes. Usually, she would go and start supper or try writing some new lyrics, but today she was content to wait for Donny to come home. Julia plopped down, exhausted, into one of the blue and white striped chair her mother had given them for a wedding gift. They had gotten married about a month ago after two years of dating. Julia still missed Michael, the way he smirked after telling a joke or the sound of him practicing his drums in the basement every day, but she had found love again in Donny. She smiled to herself as she thought of how his fingers danced across the piano keys and how he always mouthed the lyrics of whatever song they were playing when he wasn't supposed to be singing. The sound of the door opening pulled her out of her reverie.

"Julia?" Donny called. She heard the sound of his keys jingling as he pulled them out of the door. "Oh, hi!" He grinned as he saw her sitting in the living room, where the door opened into. "Just couldn't wait for me to get home?" he grinned.

Julia smiled back at him, "Couldn't wait to hear what the producer said about the record." She stood up and walked towards him, the wooden floor creaking underneath her bare feet. "You just happen to be the person who knows what he said." Donny stepped closer to her, until their faces were only inches away from each other.

"You sure I don't have anything to do with it?"

"Nope, now tell me."

"If you kiss me I will." He leaned forward and kissed her, a spark travelling through her body, igniting a warm glow in her heart. She felt so safe and loved when Donny held her, but she really did want to know and she had something to tell him still. She pulled away and grinned when he let out a disappointed groan.

He opened his mouth to protest when she cut him off, "tell me what he said and I'll tell you what I did today."

Donny raised his eyebrow at that, but the news from the producer was to exciting to keep to himself much longer, so he gave in. "We have a record deal! We record in about a month. They want "Nobody" and "Welcome Home" on it for sure. We still have to work out what else is going to be on there," he announced.

Julia laughed from joy, "do the boys know?"

"I called them from the payphone outside of the office."

"So you told everyone else before me?" Julia teased.

"I saved the best for last." Julia laughed at that and walked into the kitchen to pull out a loaf of bread for supper.

"Aren't you going to tell me what you did today?" Donny followed her into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around her waist, putting his head on her shoulder.

"Well I thought I would tell everyone else first..." she teased. He looked at her pleadingly with his big brown eyes and she gave in immediately. "Fine. I went to the doctor today."

Donny spun her around in his arms so she was facing him, his hands still on her waist. "Are you alright? Nothing is wrong, right?" He looked so concerned, that Julia's plan of keeping the news from him a bit longer went out the window.

"I'm pregnant." Donny went completely still, his face more shocked than the band was when they saw NYC for the first time. Julia looked at him for a long moment until he shook his head and let out a nervous laugh.

"We're having a baby!" He hugged Julia close to him. They smiled at each other. Donny leaned his head down and Julia reached up and they met in the middle for a kiss. It was slow, one that seemed to constantly remind them of the the love and respect they had for the other. A minute later, they pulled apart and just held each other. Julia rest her head against Donny's chest and he put his head on hers, just enjoying just being with each other. What could have been five minutes or an hour later, Donny kissed her head and pulled back slightly as if he was going to say something. Julia looked up at him. "If it's a boy, let's name him Michael."

Julia gave him a sad smile, "yeah, I think that would be perfect." They were silent for a minute.

Then, Donny pulled her close again, "we're really going to be parents."

"You ready?" Julia asked against his chest.

"With you at my side, I could face anything." Julia laughed at his cheesiness, but she knew that they were ready for this. She loved him, he loved her, and they were going to have a baby and that's all she needed.


	3. Fireworks

It was the fourth of July and preparations were in full swing. The town had hosted a parade earlier and every business had a flag outside. The radio played patriotic tunes all day and children ran around in red, white, and blue outfits. Housewives all over the city displayed flags and baked special apple pies in honor of the holiday. June Adams was no exception to the rule. She had hung a flag in her front window and was just pulling a pie out of the oven when the door bell rang.

"Julia!" she called. "That's probably Donny!"

"Coming!" she heard her daughter reply, then her quick footsteps running to the door. June put the pie on a cooling rack and looked at the table again to make sure it was presentable. It was good enough she figured and went to greet Donny.

He and Julia were in the foyer talking. At her entrance, he held out a box to her.

"Thank you so much for inviting me. I brought some rolls. I can't cook, so they're from the bakery down the street."

"That's fine. Most of this meal is from there. Thank you so much for bringing them. Come on in and sit down," she told him. During their courtship, her husband hadn't brought anything when he had come to dinner. As she led the way into the dinning room, she whispered to Julia, "he's a keeper."

"Ma!" Julia's face was red. June shrugged.

"I've just got to grab a bowl for the rolls, but you guys can sit down," she said when they reached the dining room. The couple sat down and June returned a moment later. They dug into the meal before them. June wasn't known for being the best cook in the world, but the good company made the food taste like it was baked by a professional French chef. They talked until the sun went down in the sky, each one of them thoroughly enjoying themselves.

"So this guy is trying to tell me that-" Donny was telling a story when a loud 'bang' cut him off.

"What was that?" June wondered. Julia got up and looked out the window. Another bang rang out.

"Oh," she laughed. "It was just the city setting off some fireworks. Donny, what-" She stopped talking when she saw Donny. His head was hunched over his plate and his hand was gripping his fork tightly. Tremors ran through his body. "Donny?" Julia asked conceredly. She reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. He flinched. "Talk to me." A sob escaped him. Every time a firework went off he shook. Julia looked at her mom with a pleading look. June nodded and left the room. "Donny, I'm here. Just take a deep breath." She heard him inhale. "Now let it out." After doing that for another minute, she said, "Talk to me."

"I'm back there." His words rushed out of his mouth followed by a shaky inhale. "I'm in the trench and they're all there, dying and I can't do anything and-" Then, he was overtaken by another sob. With every bang of the fireworks, Donny flinched as if he'd been shot.

Julia got up. "I'm still here Donny, I'm just going to close the windows and turn on the radio, ok?" She quickly went about her task and made sure the radio was on at full volume. The soothing sounds if Mozart didn't completely hide the sounds of the fireworks, but it muted them a bit. Meanwhile, Donny had dropped to the ground on his hand and knees. Julia rushed towards him. She put a gentle hand on his shoulder and pulled him towards her so his head was resting on her neck. She stroked his hair gently, talking to him all the while. "Just breathe, Donny. The fireworks will be over soon. I'm right here. Stay with me." They sat there on the floor like that, Julia holding him, for a half an hour. Finally, the bombardment of the fireworks stopped. A minute later, Donny raised his head from her shoulder.

"Can I use your piano?" he asked. His eyes were red from crying and he looked exhausted.

"Of course." Julia watched as he made his way into the next room. As he played, she cleared the table. After she was done, she stood in the kitchen, alone, listening to Donny. She wanted to go to him, take this pain away from him, but she knew that wasn't possible, that he would carry this burden the rest of his life and all she could do was watch powerless to stop it.

_I stand here helpless, my arms extended, knowing full well, darling, your war's not ended..._


	4. Welcome Home

_Johnny made it home,_   
_Most of him at least._   
_Had three operations,_   
_But the pain has not decreased._

The veteran's ward of the hospital was quiet. A month ago, it would be filled with noise of the young men chatting with each other and the rattle of medicine carts. Now it was just two men, lying in some of the beds. Their pale forms seemed to blend in with the white sheets that covered their bodies. 

The first in the line of beds contained Ben. His own mother had hardly been able to look at him. He had been stationed in the front lines in France when it had happened. As he and his buddies were crouching in the trench, praying they would make it through the night, a bomb had landed to the left of him. The last thing he saw was his friends eyes go wide and then nothing else until the tarp of the field hospital above him. His friends were dead Ben was told, he was lucky to be alive. That's when he noticed his arms. Horrible burns ran across them, leaving his flesh black. Then, the pain set in. Ben screamed. He had never felt anything like it, this agony. Weeks later, when the doctors deemed it suitable, Ben was given a mirror. His eyelids were almost melted above his drooping eyes. The skin had ridges in it that weren't there before. When his high school sweet heart had seen him, she had run out of the room, only to come back crying three days later apologizing while breaking off their relationship. Ben was supposed to stay at this hospital until the doctors had finished running tests.

The second was Nathan. His sister came to see him every day; you could hear her crying in the hallway afterwards. Nathan had been shipped to the South Pacific as a medic. His sister, the only family he had left was overjoyed that her brother would be safer than most men. She hadn't counted on land mines knocking his jeep off the road and sending him flying headfirst into a rock. When he finally woke up, the previously bright doctor could barely form a sentence. His words were slurred and thoughts came slowly to him. Nathan couldn't remember almost anything. When word reached his sister he was coming back because of an incapicitating injury, she assumed he had lost a limb. A period of recovery would follow, then she would have her brother back. She hadn't counted on walking in the hospital room and meeting Nathan for the first time. He didn't remember her. Didn't remeber their parents. He did, however, remebering the brining corpse of his friends lying beside him. The gun shots as a young marine was gunned down. He didn't tell anyone about this though. 

A nurse walked in and gave each man his medicine. "It's too quiet in here," she remarked as she walked over to the radio. "NBC was hosting a contest for swing bands to write a tribute to troops, like you guys. It started a while ago, but there might be a few performances left. You boys OK if I turn it on?" Without waiting for an answer, she clicked the radio on.

"And now" the announcer exclaimed. "The Donny Nova Band!" That's when the drums started to play.

_Nick learned to survive,_   
_Means you never trust._   
_Once you've seen the worst in man,_   
_Then how do you adjust._

No one knew where Dan had come from. One day, the grocery store didn't have a clerk and the next day it did. He always looked a little funny behind the counter. His clothes, the store's clean, freshed pressed uniform, were new, but he was always poorly shaved, if at all, and there were bags under his eyes. The outline of dog tags was always visible under his apron. Mosier, Oregon was a buzz when he arrived. They barely had three hundred citizens, so a new comer was always something to gossip about. Perhaps if he had shaved or slept a full night, the girls would have giggled about their crush on him. Perhaps if he had smiled and wished them a good day, the housewives would have thought him to be an upstanding young man who was working his way to success. Perhaps if he had responded to their inquires about last week's game, the men in the community would have considered him one of their own. But his washed out appearance and his silence pushed others away from him. If a customer would greet him in the store, he would give one short nod in their direction. When asked about yesterday's football game, he would mutter, 'I didn't watch it'. The pastor's wife even invited him over for a home cooked meal, but he just shook his head, "no, ma'am," and offered no explanation. That's when most people gave up trying. But the pastor's son, Billy, a blonde haired six year old, was fascinated by him. So, the next two months, Billy followed Dan around the store. When Dan nodded, Billy nodded. At first, Dan had tried to get Billy to leave, but he refused. Over time, he got used to him and would let him stay as he swept the store. Billy would talk the whole time about which bugs he had seen that day or what his fifthe favorite color was. Dan would nod every so often and so a sort of friendship was formed. Every night, just before he left, Billy would ask Dan over for supper and every night he would say no. One night, Billy came in and told Dan all about this contest that was going to be on the radio tonight. He knew from his parents Dan had been in the military and was excited that he had found something that was connected to him. 

"I can turn it on, if you want. Mom said it is on NBC and we can just listen to the end of it." Dan liked Billy, who seemed to accept that he didn't want to talk, so he just nodded.

"And now" the announcer exclaimed. "The Donny Nova Band!" That's when the drums started to play.

_Davy cracks a joke,_   
_Claims to be alright._   
_Drinks a fifth of vodka_   
_In his kitchen every night._

There was only four men at the Fairview Second Bar on the night of December 16th. The working men usually didn't come on Sunday nights because their jobs started early the next morning. The rest of the men who had the day off were discouraged by the blustery 15 degree weather and stayed home. However, even if the temperature had dropped another 20 degrees, those four men would still be there. No one really knew their names, just that was was the son of Mrs. So and So and the other was the counsin of the grocer and so on. They had no jobs, it seemed, but every night, they would be here at the bar. Even though they never sat together people assumed they were friends. In a way that was true. Although they had barely spoken to each other, a silent comraderie of shared experience connected the men. All had been posted in the South Pacific during World War II, but had never met during the war. It was only later when each of them silently trudged to this bar every night to drink that they learned the of the others existence. The weather, their health, and even their families' pleas couldn't keep them away from this place. The bar tender knew them by their drink orders. Vodka, whiskey, gin, and another whiskey. Tonight they were on their fifth glass. The bar tender yawned. Technically, the bar was open until eleven and he hated to throw out paying customers with two sons in college, but he was ready to go to bed. Looking for something to keep him awake, he clicked on the radio. 

"And now" the announcer exclaimed. "The Donny Nova Band!" That's when the drums started to play.

_And I stand here trying,_   
_Like Mother Mary with my private burden of grief to carry._   
_Welcome home my boys_   
_Welcome home my sons_   
_Welcome home my husband_   
_Welcome home my love_   
_Welcome home, welcome home_   
_Welcome home_

When Mrs. Sarah Nelson heard her son was coming back home from the front alive, she had ran over to her neighbors house, gigling and crying with joy. Her neighbor, an old woman with no children, had hugged her and they had tea together as Sarah had tried to calm down. As the next week passed, she cleaned the house top from bottom. Every so often, she would remember her son was coming home and she would dance for joy, only stopping when she reached the empty room at the end of the hall. Charles' room. He was not coming back from the war. He had been stationed in Germany when about a year ago that dreaded telegram had told her in thirty five unsympathetic words her youngest son was dead. When that had arrived, she had run over to her neighbors house, crying and cursing the military for taking her 20 year old. The two ladies had had tea before Mrs. Sarah Nelson returned to her empty house and fell asleep, crying and praying that Liam would be safe, in her son's empty bed. She never went back into the room after that. Finally all her cleaning was done and it was Novemeber 1st, the day Liam was coming home. She arrived at the train station two hours before he was supposed to arrive, just in case he was early. The train was a half an hour late, but Mrs. Sarah Nelson sat there with a smile on her face the whole time. Then, Liam walked out of the car. She ran to him, wrapping her arms around him, crying uncontrablly. He stiffened at her touch and then hugged her back.

"It's good to see you, ma," he said.

"It's good to have you home." They got into their car. Mrs. Sarah Nelson turned the key and stomped on the clutch. Instead of starting, the car backfired. 

She laughed and told her son, "this old thing is alwa-." A sob cut her off. Liam's head was between his legs and he took deep, heavy breathes in. She reached out to rub his back, confused what was happening. As soon as she touched him, he slapped her hand away. Sarah froze. Never in his life had he so much as raised his voice to her. A few seconds later, Liam lifted his head up.

"I'm sorry, ma." Then he began crying again. This time, he let her pull his head into her lap and they sat there for an hour until he calmed down. Then, they drove home.

Over the next few months, Sarah noticed how much her son had changed. He tensed when the door slammed. She could hear him pacing in the living room every night, sometimes never sleeping. He stopped listening to the baseball games on the radio he used to love. Long periods at meal times he would be silent. Sometimes, she found him curled up on the floor crying. He wasn't the Liam she had remembered. The Navy had taken both her sons. Failure weighed heavy on her; as a mother, she should be able to help her son, but she was powerless. They never talked anymore. One night in December, the silence became unbearable and she decided to turn on the radio. 

"And now" the announcer exclaimed. "The Donny Nova Band!" That's when the drums started to play.

_Wayne is never free, schedules out his day_   
_Filling every minute just to keep the ghosts away_   
_He could never get back the life he had,_   
_Faced with raising kids who did not recognize their dad_

When Frank was huddled in the trenches with his friends dying around him, he was so sure that when he came home, it would be just like it was before. He would come home on the 5 o'clock train, his daughters would meet him at the door and he would greet his wife. Then they would eat supper together and listen to the radio as the girls played dolls and Samantha knit. Now he had been back for two months. His daughters had not met him at the door. Instead, they had burst out crying and hid behind Samantha when he came home. He and Samantha had met in high school and were married as soon as he got his first job working as a manager in the general store down the road. Three girls followed, the oldest of which had been 7 when he left. Now he was back, three years later, and they hardly recognized him. Sometimes, Frank felt like he was one of the triangular pegs his youngest daughter tired to put in the square hole in her toy. His daughters were shy around him. They never chattered easily about their day as they did with their mother. When he came home from work, he could hear their voices through the door tumbling over each other like the brook in their backyard, but as soon as he opened the door, it stopped. Frank couldn't find it in himself to talk to them, though. Even before the war, he had not been talkative, but had managed to talk to his daughters. Now, all he thought about was what had happened when he had let himself open up to Mark, Noah, and Garrett. Their bodies still haunted his nightmares. He could tell Samantha was becoming increasingly irritated with him. She didn't understand why he couldn't talk to their daughters. Most nights, he could barely talk to her, even if he did it was small talk, never what had happened over there, or how much he had missed them. There were days where he didn't speak at all, just sat there consumed by his memories, scared that she and the rest of the world would ostracize him if they knew about his weakness. One thing that did stay the same was listening to the radio every night. Of course, Samantha never sat next to him on the couch and the girls would only show her their creations now, but even this little bit of normalcy steadied him.

"And now" the announcer exclaimed. "The Donny Nova Band!" That's when the drums started to play.

_Jimmy made it back to town four months ago_   
_Lived to tell of things no one could bear to know._   
_Keeps his guard up now a lot goes undiscussed_   
_Focuses on fighting what he finds unjust._

Isabel knocked on her brother's door. "Henry? Do you want to listen to the radio with us?" The room was silent.

"No thank you. Maybe another night. I have a test to study for."

Then, the sound of a pencil resumed. Isabel tip toed down the stairs. Her parents turned around in their chairs and looked questioningly at her. She shook her head. Her father sighed and put his cigar back in his mouth. Her mother returned to her knitting with a resigned grimace. Ever since Henry had returned from the war, he hadnt listened to radio with them. It used to be his and Isabel's thing. Even though he was 6 years older than her and loved football, they both enjoyed listening to their favourite radio programs at night. Now, he sat in his room and studied. Med school was the only thing on his mind now. Every night they asked him if he wanted to join them and every night it was the same reply. They were hesitant to turn on the radio without him. It felt so strange, but listening to it seemed to harkened back to the old days when they were a whole family so they did it anyway. Isabel tried to finish the rest of the row of her cross stitch in the silence before her mother gave her the nod that meant that she could turn on the old device. Her mother was furiously knitting as if knitting her son this scarf would make him emerge from the room and embrace them as he used to. Finally, she nodded. The Tribute to the Troops contest was tonight and her mother had been very excited about it. She thought it might make her son listen, but that wasn't going to happen. Isabel rose from her chair and turned the dial, through the static they heard

"And now" the announcer exclaimed. "The Donny Nova Band!" That's when the drums started to play.

_Welcome home my boys_   
_Welcome home my sons_   
_Welcome home my husband_   
_Welcome home my love_   
_Welcome home, welcome home_   
_Welcome home_

Betsy missed her father. He had physically returned from Germany four months ago, but not mentally. The chair at the head of the table that had been open for three years was now occupied, but it might as well have been empty. Most days it was fine. Sure, he no longer was willing to help her with her girl scout projects, but him being there made up for those short comings. It was when things happened that Betsy wondered what that war had done to her father. A dropped plate would bring him to tears and he would remain silent for a week, then return to normal until the next accident. It was the unpredictability that scared her. Her favourite subject in school was Physics because it was predictable. Forces always acted the same. Accelerations didn't change based on the week.

"Hey, dad!" she called as she entered the house.

"How was your day?" He father replied from the living room where he was looting over the accounting books for the family business.

"Good." She placed her books on the counter and turned around to get a snack. Then, out of the corner of her eye she saw Lil, her cat jump on the counter. Her feet landed on the book and then she leapt off the book to the windowsill. The force from her paws knocked the books to the floor. As if in slow motion, they fell to the floor and bang! From the next room, she heard her dad cry out.

"Dad?" She ran into the next room. His eyes were closed and his fists clenched. "Are you Ok?" She touched his arm and he flinched as his eyes flew open. He stared at her then walked up the stairs to his room, closing the door behind him. Betsy went back to the kitchen. She could calculate the force it would take for those books to fall, but she could not help her father. It only made it worse that he didn't talk about the war. If only she knew why. He was home, why wasn't it just like it was before? That night at supper, she felt a guilty knot in her stomach as her father didn't utter a word. Finally, after supper, as the family gatuered in the living room to read, knit, or in her father's case, sit, the silence became unbearable. Betsy rose and clicked the radio on.

"And now" the announcer exclaimed. "The Donny Nova Band!" That's when the drums started to play.

_Donny does his best, trying to pretend_   
_What he doesn't talk about won't matter in the end._   
_Donny made it home but thinks it wasn't fair_   
_How he made it out but left his buddy there_   
_Donny doesn't sleep because the nightmares come_   
_Donny wants an answer_   
_Donny looks for absolution_   
_And I'd give up anything if I could give him some_

The bed on the other side of the room seemed so empty. Calvin faced the ceiling to avoid looking at it. He heard footsteps outside his door as his mother walked passed the door, stopped, and then continued in her path. He knew why she didn't come in bustling about trying to striaghten the stacks of books while asking him about his day as she use to. He was the reason that bed was so empty. The room seemed divided in two sections, his side where the sunlight from the window didn't quite reach and he lay on the bed, too defeated to do anything else and Eli's side. His sheets still perfectly flat, the sunlight seeming to form a halo around it. Beside the bed was a picture of the brothers from when they were young. Calvin, the older one, was pushing Eli in a wagon; both boys were laughing. When Calvin had first gotten home, he had wanted to face the picture down and escape from its accusing glare, but he found he needed it there to remind him of his guilt. Besides, it was a much better image of Eli than when Calvin had last seen him. 

****************

"Eli, come on. You'll have time to write later. Come play cards with me." Calvin was sitting on the floor of the trench with the pack of cards his pa had given him the day he left. Eli was leaned up against the wall.

Without looking up from his letter, Eli replied, "I'll do it later."

"You've been writing all day. Finally get Ella Rose to wirte to you?" Calivin laughed. "Let me see." he grabbed the letter. 

"No! Give it back!" Eli insisted. 

Calvin cleared his throat read it in a mocking voice. "Dear Edward, I have missed you so much since our last meeting. I-" He stopped reading. "Eli. You're- what- you're-you're. Ma and pa would die if they knew. I-" Calvin felt his head spinning. His little brother was-. He couldn't even think it. His whole life he had seen people like him ridiculed. His natural instinct to protect his brother was paralized. "I have to go."

"Calvin-wait. Don't tell anyone. Please don't." Eli looked so small. Calvin turned and looked back at him one more time then walked down the line a bit to find the other soldiers. He wasn't going to tell, but he needed time to process. Just then, the German camp that had been so silent for three weeks errupted with noise. Bombs, machine guns, planes filled the air. The smoke was so thick, Calvin could barely see his hands. But one thought was present in his mind. Eli. He had to get to Eli. No matter what happened, Eli was his brother and he was not going to let him die. He pushed passed anyting in his way. Everyone was scarmbling for their guns and a few slumped over as another round of bullets hit the trench. Finally, he made it back. There was Eli, laying on the ground with a river of blood seeping out from behind his helmet.

Calvin dropped to his knees, "Eli? Eli!" But there was no response. His brother was dead. If only he had been here. If only the last time he saw him, he hadn't run out. It didn't seem to matter now. Five hours later, when the battle was done, medics did a sweep of the trench and found Calvin cradling his brothers body, crying. He was sent to hospital after seemingly being unable to talk.

**************

Another set of footsteps walked passed the door. His mother again. This time she entered his room.

"Sweetheart, you've been home for a month. Its time to move on. Sometimes bad things happen to us. We just have to push past them." Calvin's hands started shaking. "Your father came back from the war and got a job. You just need to get out in the world. Jane, I'm sure, would love to go on a date with you. We can go back to where we were before." That's when he broke down in tears. She looked uncomfortably at him and then left. He heard her walk into the kitchen and then the murmur of his parent's voices. His father walked up the stairs.

"Calvin. Your mother is trying to show she cares." Calvin turned his head away. "She thinks the war doesn't bother me and it shouldn't bother you. When I got home for the army, I got a job right away so I wouldn't have to deal with everything. I never talked about the war all those years because to do so would be to relive hell. My best friend died next to me." Now he was starting to tear up too. "And you know, it took me years to accept it wasn't my fault. Somedays, I still believe it was, but it isn't. Calvin, you did not kill Eli. He enlisted of his own accord. I know this is hard, but trust me, it gets better." Then, he uncharacteristically wrapped him in a hug. Calvin sat their stunned, but finally put his arms around his father and wept. "Now, please come downstairs. Just listen to the radio with us. you don't ahve to talk, just be with us." SLowly, Calvin nodded and followed his father down the stairs. His mother was sitting in her arm chair, knitting a hat for her sister. She looked meekly at him when he came in as if she were regretting their talk earlier.

"Here, I made you some hot chocolate." He nodded his thanks and took the mug, wishing he knew how to tell his mother what the war inside his head was like, wishing he could tell her he loved her. She looked at him a moment longer, then went over to the radio and turned the dial.

"And now" the announcer exclaimed. "The Donny Nova Band!" That's when the drums started to play.

_If I stand here helpless, my arms extended  
Knowing full well, darling, your war's not ended  
Welcome home  
Welcome home my husband  
Welcome my love  
Welcome home, welcome home  
Welcome home my boys  
Welcome home my sons  
Welcome home my husband  
Welcome home my love  
Welcome home  
Welcome home  
Welcome home_

As the last notes filled the room,

two men in a hospital began to talk ,

a janitor in a grocery store cried,

four men put down their drinks,

Mrs. Sarah Nelson's son hugged her,

Frank stayed up past his usual bedtime by ten minutes and played with his daughters,

Henry came down the stairs and listened to the radio with his family,

Betsy turned around and hugged her crying father,

Calvin forgave himself for a minute and told his parents he loved them,

and for a minute, everyone was a just a little more OK than they had been and that was enough.

AN: So that was a lot longer and much more time consuming than I planned on. I hope it was worth it. I have shorter, fluffier Donny and Julia one shots planned that won't take as much time (hopefully). Happy Thanksgiving!


	5. The Piano

Julia walked slowly into the living room. Her joints screamed at her to stop. At 83, she was no longer the young, energetic woman who could dance and sing for a crowd of thousands as she used to in the band. Now, it was a good day if she could make it through with only one nap. She was about to sit in her favorite chair by the window to read a book, when her eye landed on the piano. There was nothing different about it, yet Julia felt drawn to it. She sat at the wooden bench and stroked the keys with her fingers. Donny had tried to teach her how to play many years ago, but she never could quite get the hang of it and soon the chaos of life had take over and she was left with no time. Now she wished she had tried harder, she missed the sound of it. Donny had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's six years ago; three years ago he had forgotten how to play piano. Since then, the piano hadn't been touched execpt for the occassional dusting. Her eye landed on the framed photographs resting on the top. The first a picture of their wedding, Donny in his tux had his arm around her ...

_Her dress was white and shorter than what was fashionable. Julia stood before the full length mirror as her mother adjusted her veil. A boquet of white flowers was in her hands; her fingers gripped them tightly._

_"Am I doing the right thing? Is this too soon, Ma? I feel like I'm betraying Michael," Julia whispered, scared to reveal the whirlwind that was her mind._

_"Julia!" her mother scolded. "You and Donny have been together for four years now, Michael has been dead for seven. You can't waste your life pinning after a love that will never come back. That love will always be a part of you, but it should not define you. Do you love Donny?"_

_"Of course," Julia answered right away._

_"Does Donny love you?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Does he make you happy?"_

_"Always," Julia smiled remebering the thrill of their first date, first kiss, and all the times they've sang together._

_"Would Michael want you to be happy?"_

_Julia stayed silent for a moment, "yes" she replied quietly._

_"Then go out there and marry Donny." June kissed Julia's cheek and pulled the veil over her face. Julia's father was not present at the wedding, so June was going to walk her down the aisle instead. Despite all her mother had said, Julia's thoughts were still running around her mind, making her question everything. Then, the doors to the church opened and Julia saw Donny. His eyes lit up and the sight of her and filled with love. All uncertainty left her mind. She loved Donny Novitski and was going to spend the rest of her life with him._

Julia picked up the next picture. This one pictured the band the night of their last concert. She and Donny were singing "Nobody" for the last time. Davy had his eyes closed as he strummed tha bass. Johnny had a half grin on his face at the steady rhythm he was playing. Nick pouring himself into a solo, but he stayed in line with the rest of the guys. Wayne looked at peace with the saxophone in his hands. Jimmy didn't have to play at that particular spot and was watching the rest of the band with pride...

_It was the last set the band was going to play together. It made them all sad, but they pretended it was just a regular day. As the last notes of "Nobody" rang throught he auditorium, the applause from the audience started. The band triumphantly bowed one last time, then headed back to the room behind the stage where they had warmed up._

_"Well, that was perfect," Donny said with a sad sigh._

_"Yeah." For once, Davy didn't have a joke._

_Julia tried to lighten the mood, "we'll still meet on the weekends to play sometimes." Still, it felt like the end of an era was ending. Six years they had been together; it seemed hard to believe there would be no more tours for the Donny Nova Band, just cafes every so often on Saturdays._

_"One last drink?" Davy offered. The rest of the band nodded. Davy poured the drinks out from a bottle he kept on his bag, then took the one with the least in it. Julia looked at him in question, usually he took the fullest one._

_"I'm trying. Can't have a drunk man working at the VA. I don't know if I'll ever be able to stop completely because the noise in my head won't stop, but I'm trying. " Davy had gotten a job doing odd jobs around the local VA hospital, his ability to cheer people up at even the worst of times made up for his relative inexperience. The band drank and joked about years gone by for an hour when Wayne spoke up._

_"I got to get home. I promised my wife I would be back before 11." The band became silent, not wanting to ask the question on their minds. Wayne answered it for them, "we're giving it a try again."_

_"Good luck," Julia wished him._

_"There goes my clean house," Nick snorted. They laughed and wished Wayne a good night._

_"I've got to go too," Jimmy said. "My sister's husband said that he might be able to get me a job at the bank if I was there at 8 tomorrow. You know, since I'm good with numbers."_

_"Good for you!" Jimmy congratualed him. After he left, Davy, Julia, Donny, Nick, and Jimmy sat in silene. No one really knowing if they should keep talking or leave._

_Jimmy broke the silence. "How the audition go for that orchestra, Nick?"_

_Nick smiled, "I'm in! First trumpet, too." After they congratulated him, Nicked asked, "how's your firm coming along?"_

_"Well," Jimmy replied. "Actually, I got one of my friend from law school to partner with me, so all we need is to find an office and we're in business."_

_"Well, I'll be sure to call you next time I get taken in for loitering in a bar," Davy assured him. Soon, they all left and Donny and Julia walked home together._

_"You didn't tell them about the baby," Donny accused jokingly._

_"I wanted to keep the news to ourselves another week. Besides, you didn't tell them about your new job, Mr. Band Director for Cleveland High School." They laughed and walked in silence._

_Finally Julia said, "they are all happy. You did well with this band, Donny." He smiled at her, unable to get the words out through tears. The band that had meant so much to him was ending. Julia squeezed his hand and he knew with her at his side the future would hold just as much joy._

Julia's gaze fell on the next picture. Her mother had taken it. Their six year old daughter sat on Donny's lap, placing her fingers over Donny's as if to play the piano with him. Julia was singing along, holding their 4 month old son.

_"Teach me how to play!" Ella demanded with a smile on her face. Donny turned away from the piano to look at her._

_"What's the magic word?"_

_"Pleeeeeeasee?" his daughter begged him._

_"Alright." Donny picked up Ella and sat her on his lap. "Put your hands on mine. Now, this key is a C..." Donny and Ella sat there together playing simple melodies for about twenty minutes when Julia noticed. Usually, Donny played complicated songs, but today, the only sounds coming from the living room were very easy tunes. She pointed this out to her mother who had come over for a cup of coffee._

_"I wonder if he is teaching Ella how to play," she replied. Julia picked up baby Michael from where he had been sitting on the floor._

_"Come on, let's go see if your sister is as talented as your father yet," she whispered touching his nose to hers. As Julia entered the room, she was met by a sight that warmed her heart. Donny was indeed teaching their daughter to play piano, carefully guiding her fingers to the right notes. Neither Donny nor Julia had had a dad they could look up to and she was so glad her daughter would have one. Julia listened for a minute, until Donny began teaching Ella the first few notes of "First Steps First"._

_"Pardon my brashness dear," she sang. Donny and Ella both turned around, stopping the music. Donny smiled._

_"Listen, mama! I can play piano!" Ella exclaimed. Then, she began pressing on Donny's hands to make the keys play a very slow version of "First Steps First". Julia began to sing along again._

_"Seeing you standing here." Donny came in too. Baby Michael began to coo and gurgle along with the music. The family laughed then kept singing and playing the piano. June, who was watching from the doorway, left then returned a moment later with a camera. She snapped a picture of the domestic scene in front of her and smiled. She had watched as her daughter was shattered by Michael's death and she had witnessed Donny's guilt and fear. Now, she observed as the same two people shared a moment of perfect bliss._

Julia picked up the last picture frame. It contained two pictures, the first of a young man in an army uniform...

_June 25, 1953 was a monumental day. Donny had slept through the with no nightmares. There was_ _no_ _war to taint his dreams that night. No Michael getting blown up. No soul crushing guilt that he had_ _married_ _Julia. Julia. He rolled over in the bed and saw her still asleep. He leaned down and gently kissed her on the lips. Her eyes fluttered awake and she smiled._

_"Good morning, beautiful," he_ _whispered_ _against her lips, grinning._

_"Well, good morning," she smiled. "Why are you so happy?"_

_"I slept through the night." Such an easy thing, yet so hard for him. She_ _immediately_ _hugged him tightly._ _They_ _stayed like that_ _for_ _awhile._

_Finally, Julia whispered against his neck, "you'd better start_ _catching_ _up on sleep now because_ _in_ _nine months it might be harder for you-"_

_"What?" Donny pulled back to see her face. "You're-"_

_"I found out yesterday."_ _They_ _smiled to each other, each_ _picturing_ _a little boy or girl looking exactly like the other that could play the piano and sing like an angel. Then, they hugged each other again._

_Donny looked at Julia in his arms. He and his_ _wife_ _were going to have a baby. His wife. It had taken him so_ _long_ _to stop_ _thinking_ _of her as Michael's wife. Michael would always be a part of his past, but this was now. Something in him realized then, there would always be nightmares, always be days when the war was in his head, but he would manage it. Julia and the band would always be there for him and now this child, who he already felt such unconditional love for, was coming into his life. Things weren't perfect, but for the first time in awhile, Donny felt at peace._

_Julia felt so safe in Donny's arms. She hadn't told him last night because she felt guilty. Michael had been dead for years now, but she always imagined having his children, not Donny's. Sometime around midnight though, with Donny's peaceful, slumbering form next to her she realized he was her husband and she loved him. Yes, she still missed Michael, but Donny was now. Donny was the father of her child and the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Julia knew Michael would want her to be happy and Donny and this child made her so happy. With that thought, she vowed to always remember Michael, but to move on and live now._

_Awhile later, Donny kissed the top of her head. "Time to get up." They both relcutantly pulled out of each others arms and rolled out of bed. Smiling at each other one last time, they opened the door and stepped out, ready to face the day with the other at their side._

The other photograph in the frame was of her mother taken a month before her death...

_"It won't be long now," the nurse told Julia. She felt Donny squeeze her hand. Julia closed her eyes, holding in the tears, then let a deep breathe out and opened them._

_"May I see her?"_

_"Of course."_

_"Do you want me to come with you?" Donny asked gently._

_"No, I'll be fine." Julia walked down the hallway into her mother's hospital room. Her heels clacking way too loud on the wood floor. Her mother lay on a bed with white sheets. A pillow propped her head up as she slept. On the right of her, Oliver held her hand. Her mother had finally gotten remarried after years of waiting on her faithless husband. Oliver had brought her joy and had become a grandfather to Julia's kids._

_"How is she?" Julia asked._

_Oliver raised his head up. "It's only a matter of time." Julia pulled up a chair on the other side of the bed._

_"I love you, ma," she whispered, grabbing her hand. "The children will miss you. They were the only ones who liked your paprika and devilled eggs. Who's going to make it for them now?" Julia's voice cracked and tears streamed down her face. June's eyes opened for a minute. The doctors said the last stroke had taken away her ability to speak, but her eyes said it all. I love you, they said. I love Donny and Ella and Michael and I will miss you so much._

_One last raspy breathe came from her body and them it was silent. A nurse came in and checked June's pulse._

_"She's gone."_

_Julia started sobbing. She felt an arm around her, pulling her near. Donny. He pulled her close and let her cry into his chest until she had no more tears left._

_The funeral and the wake exhausted her. The grief she felt and the stress of it all seemed to want to drown her, but she got through it. Donny helped her arrange everything and comforted her when she felt sad. He was grieving as well. June was the closest thing he had to a mother figure in years. But they got through it because they were together._

She looked at the pictures now. A few of the happy moments in their lives and a few of the sad. All the music and love that had made them both happy, contained in these few photographs on the piano. The band, their children, her mother, Michael, Donny, the laughter, the pain, the music... The sound of the piano playing broke her out of her trance. Without her noticing, Donny had come sit next to her on the bench. Julia gasped. Donny hadn't played in years. He had forgotten so much, even forgotten her some days. She blinked again, convinced that she was dreaming, but Donny was still there.

"Pardon my brashness dear," he sang. "Seeing you standing here, dancing's more customary for a soiree."

She began singing then as Donny continued playing, "Isn't the band sublime and as it happens I'm just in the mood to do a two step."

"Do step out on the floor with me I'm knew here too you see, might you be charmingly coerced?" They sang together. Donny's lack of practice made the piano part shaky and out of tune. Julia's clear tone had been taken by age. But to them, it was the most beautiful music in the world.

Julia laid her head on Donny's shoulder as they sang the last lines together, "But, I have a feeling I'd steady you if you tried soon you'll be dancing through rehearsed steps first steps first bah ba do 'n dah da first steps first first steps first." The last notes rang through the house and then it was silent.

The next day, the nurse who was supposed to check in on them walked through the door. "Julia?" she called. Hearing no answer, she became concerned and walked into the kitchen. "Julia? Donny?" Still no reply. Then, she walked into the living room.

There were Donny and Julia, sitting dead at the piano, heads leaning together, with the most peaceful expressions on their faces the nurse had ever seen.  
  



	6. Stress

Donny pressed the keys of the piano down and felt the slighest bit of relief at the sound. His nightmares had become less frequent over the years, but no less violent. He had woken covered in sweat with the face of Michael burned into his eyes and the words "get out" on his lips. After making sure Julia was still asleep, he had made his way downstairs to the piano. They had put the piano in the room furthest away from the bedroom, so if Donny needed to play, he could without waking everyone up. He began. Intricate, complicated melodies came out as he tried to keep his mind off the past. C G E flat B... he frantically composed new melodies, wincing at wrong notes. A noise drew him out of his head and he stopped playing. A quick galnce at the clock informed him it was 3;12 in the morning, too early for anyone to be up. A shaly inhale and a deep exhale let him know where the sound was coming from: the kitchen. Quietly, but quickly, he entered the room. There was his daughter, Katie, leaning against the counter, drinking some water. Tear filled eyespeered at him in surprise above the rim of the glass cup. 

"Katie?" he asked, concered. "What happened?"

"Nothing, I'm fine." She tilted her head so Donny couldn't see her face and tried to walk past him. He reached out a hand to stop her. 

"If it was nothing, you wouldn't be crying at 3 am. Whatever it is, you can tell me." He leaned down a bit so he would be more her height.

"Really, I'm fine. There's-" A sob cut off her next words. 

"Kathryn June Novitski." Even though is daughter was 16 and a junior in high school, her full name still had the same effect that it had had when she was three.

She gave up and blurted, " There's just a lot going on at school." Donny remained silent, seeing if she would say anything more. Katie exhaled. "I have an English paper due tomorrow and an American History test. Ther's a packet I have to complete for math still. On Thursday, I have a chemistry packet due and our daily math homework and an English test. Then on Friday, I have to give a speech and have a chemistry quiz and a math test. I don't even get the weekend off because on Monday, I have an American History paper due and a Spanish unit test. I feel like I'm going to throw up any my feet are tingling because I feel so nervous. My head hurts from trying to focus. I can't sleep and I don't have a lot of the work done, which means I'll fail all my classes." As she was talking, her voice got faster and faster. When she finished, she tried to calm herself, but a panicked look remained in her eyes. Donny felt an arrow pierce his heart at his overstressed and panicking daughter's tirade. Julia was better than him when it came to talking about feelings, but he knew from years of panic attacks what they felt like. 

He cut her off."OK. What we're going to do is tomorrow, you can sleep in. We'll take you to school at lunch time and say you had a doctor's appointment. We can go though the stuff you have to do and break it down so you have time to do it." Katie opened her mouth to protest, but Donny kept talking. "You need to get some rest."

"I can't sleep." Donny knew what that feeling was like. Of course, there were two different reasons they couldn't sleep, but the anxiety and dread that kept them both up was the same. 

"Want to learn the piano? Sometimes that helps me take my mind off things." Katie hesitated. She wanted to go back to bed. This wasn't her first time not being able to sleep due to stress, but it was the first time someone saw her like this. Normally, she would push through it to finish her homework and fall into a fitful sleep for the few hours she had left before school. She didn't like that her father had seen her this way. "I promise, its fun." He half smiled at her and she nodded and grudgingly followed him to the living room, knowing if she went back to bed, she would feel the panic filling her up, forcing any thoughts of sleep out of her head. Even now, thinking about her to do list brought bile to her mouth and and her feet feel like they were getting stuck to the ground. She sat beside her father at the piano. "This is middle C..." Her fingers clumsily found the keys and a halting melody came from hte piano. The panic began to reced. She focused on the tune, letting it draw her in and shield her from the outside world. About an hour later, she put her head on Donny's shoulder and feel asleep. Donny kept playing for awhile, but eventually picked her up and carried her to her room. Then, he shut the door slowly, twisting the handle to minimize the noise of the door shutting. He walked down the hallway, hesitating at Julia and his room. Her slumber form still hadn't moved from when he had left. As he took the first step in the door, Michael seemed to appear before him and shake his head slowly no. So, Donny made his way back downstairs and started composing again. "Katie's Song" he called it. The melody was simple, so if she ever wanted to play the piano again when she was overtaken by stress it wouldn't be too hard for her. He added a second more complicated part for him in case something like tonight happened again and he got to play with her. She wouldn't go through all the sleepless nights and panic attacks alone like he did. Not while he was here. And with that he kept playing.


End file.
